The team at Res.Awesome love supporting community reuse in action. Moving towards zero-waste means taking many pathways and investing in multiple solutions. Creating results that are higher up the zero-waste hierarchy than just recycling.

Refuse and Reuse is at the top of the zero waste hierarchy, and these are new old skills that we need to rediscover and part of our infrastructure system we must invest in. We are pleased to see that there is investment happening in this space locally from the Dunedin City Council. With these new upgrades to our curbside recycling systems being put in place over the coming years, we also need to invest in a reuse economy for all the other stuff that needs to be rehomed, and rediscover others’ treasures.

This is why we at Res.Awesome support and are now collaborating with The Restore Dunedin, our Kaiwhakaara Fi was invited to join the Restore Dunedin’s committee table as they go through some exciting upgrades.

The Restore Dunedin supports Habitat for Humanity’s Dunedin efforts to support the community with low-cost housing and housing repair.

Habitat for Humanity New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with people of goodwill and families in housing need, to eliminate sub-standard housing.

When you shop or donate goods to the Restore you are supporting your local community to have better housing. Now that is Reuse in action.

Our society is ready for change. This one is for you coffee slingers!

When it comes to making a positive change for our local communities and our wider world, the good news is it is easier than ever to do your bit as a coffee retailer! Alternatives to the dreaded takeaway cup do exist. Thankfully the use of ‘keep cups’ has increased massively. If you own, manage or work in a coffee dispensary here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Talk it through with your staff

Their engagement is key. Talk together about how you all feel and reassure them that they will be supported moving forward.

Line up your alternatives

This is key. It’s like parenting (as is much of hospo right?)! It is always best to anticipate the objections you may face and line up solutions before they come up. Do your research on how to transition away from throwaway culture to ensure the switch is smooth sailing. That could look like a mug library, a reuse system or giving your keep cup users a bonus for getting on board.

Engage with your customers

Talk to your locals and regulars. Use your social media (if you have it) and posters to prepare your customers. There are free downloads on the UYO website via the ‘SIGNS CAMPAIGNS GUIDES’ button that you are welcome to take, edit or use as inspiration.

Talk it through with your coffee supplier

Coffee roasters are happy not to have their branding on single-use rubbish as they clog up rubbish bins or are littered on the street. Run your ideas past them. Some are more progressive than others and may have ways to support you in regard to supplying reusables for retailing or to loan you cups as you move forward. And the next time you order single-use cups (it won’t be forever right?) request that they are plain, unbranded. This will remove the temptation to your staff, and your customers, to promote throwaway culture on social media.

Takeaway or disposable cups are gradually being eliminated from hospitality vendors around the country, as the use of ‘keep cup’s has increased massively. Good on you Kiwi’s! Most of us know by now that takeaway cups and service-ware are not doing us or our world any favours, but lets break this issue down a little further. When it comes to takeaway cups, what are they really made from and what keeps the coffee inside? All disposable coffee cups have something more than paper present in their design. There are many reasons we encourage consumers to put down the paper cups in favour of the keep variety and we would like to share some right here.

An easy to use 10-step guide to minimise waste in your workplace, and make positive steps towards Zero Waste in your office and personal life.

The team at Res.Awesome are proud to announce the release of our easy to use waste reduction guide for your workplace. We created this to help you minimise waste in your place of work and make positive steps towards zero-waste in your life. The guide is available for purchase on our website and is packed full of information on how to keep your office (whatever that may look like) as sustainable as possible.

The fast-paced nature of modern life often means we find ourselves participating in a ‘throwaway culture’ in which our food packaging and service-ware are designed to be disposable. Takeaway containers, plastic bottles, glass bottles, plastic bags, boxes, condiment packets, plastic cutlery, coffee cups, lids and napkins are a massive part of the hospitality supply chain. Much of this avoidable waste is generated at large community events; local food stalls and food trucks often rely on disposable service-ware to provide their goods and services. The great news is the Res.Awesome team know the perfect solution for diverting unnecessary waste from landfills. Wash Stations are one component of initiating an alternative, reuse economy.

I spoke with entrepreneur and business coach Harshmeen Kaur a few weeks ago about my life and how zero waste infiltrated it and taught me some big lessons.

“What you have and are as a being will always be honest to self and earth alike!”

Fiona Clements AKA Senorita AweSUMO 2007

Dunedin has an ambitious goal to become a zero waste city by 2030 and the team at Res.Awesome have an exciting project in the works to help get us there. Tackling our waste problem will require action at all levels; government, local council, businesses and individual consumers. A significant contributor to our local waste problem is Ōtepoti’s food and beverage industry. We believe with a few simple steps, this can change. The hospitality industry’s adoption of single-use products has become a normalised part of dining out culture and our Rewash Truck is just the solution.